Faith Maria Winter

After my mini celebration, I found out that I’d been asleep for a few days.

“Three days?” I asked, astonished.

“Yeah,” Marcus laughed, “We decided that since you were out cold, we’d bury you instead of Isaac,”

“It only made sense,” Isaac told me. He wasn’t smiling, but I was sure that he was laughing in his mind. I wondered why he wasn’t cured from Logan like I was.

“What if I had woken up during the ceremony?” I asked.

“We actually locked you in your coffin,” Blake chuckled, “And left a note for you, explaining that you had to be very quiet. We were relieved when you never woke, because knowing you; you probably would’ve started some sort of scene,”

I shrugged.

“What I’m wondering,” Said Isaac, “is what on earth were you dreaming about that caused you to sleep for so long,”

My cheeks turned pink, an unusual colour for a vampire.

“I...was in Blake’s arms,” I told the boys. I felt no need to explain the entire dream, for I knew not of what it meant.

“Just the type of dream to kill the poison in your veins, eh, Faith?” Marcus l
laughed. My smile faded, and I gave him the rudest of glares. He looked shocked, “What?” he demanded.

I quickly looked away, and heard Isaac’s sigh.

“She’s not completely cured,” he told Marcus. Blake and I looked at Isaac with matching faces of sorrow. Neither one of us wanted to see me lose my emotions again.

“But Logan’s voice-”

“Will come back, and you must fight it as you did tonight,” Isaac told me.

I pushed Blake away from me, feeling my hatred build in me. Logan was gone! I was sure of it. He’d never come back! I was free…

Even though I hated to admit it, I knew I would never be free of Logan. His poison coursed through my veins, torturing me every chance it got.

“Isaac…”I glared at him, ice in my voice “Can’t you just stay quiet? Is it too hard for you to see Blake and me happy?”

I turned and walked out of the crypt. I stormed through the cemetery and sat down at a random place. I stared up at the sky, slowly calming down. It had been a while since I had just sat down to enjoy the night. It seemed that controlling my emotions took up all my free time.

It wasn’t a very impressive night. There was no moon, or maybe there was, but I was unable to see it past the large cloud that covered the entire sky. There were no animals out, no bugs. A small wind blew, and it was chilly, even for my cold skin. Still, I took a deep breath in and smiled. To me, this was the loveliest night I’d ever seen. There might not have been any moonlight, but the shadows from trees stretched along the ground seeming to dance with the candle light of the lampposts, acting like mourners to all the dead in the cemetery. There was an earthy smell in the air, earth mixed with wet. I could smell fires burning from the houses at the nearby town, keeping humans warm. Even the cold on my skin felt too good, like an icy blanket that would keep me safe from the burning of the sun. I felt more invincible than I ever had. The world had opened up to me in one night, and it was fascinating. I thought back to my first night as a vampire. I had enjoyed the sounds and feelings. That night had been extraordinary, and it only made sense that I’d have loved it. Everyone, human or vampire, would have appreciated the beauty of that night. Tonight was miserable, and so utterly simple that I wondered if I was the only one in the world who was enjoying this night. I could hear the humans’ complaints in my mind. They hated the cold; it took away their harvest and killed their loved ones. Nights with no moon made it difficult for them to travel, even with their lampposts and candles. I knew they were worried of a storm tonight. No animals and heavy clouds meant that rough weather would soon be here.

I stood up and wrapped my arms around me. I still stared into the sky as the clouds opened. Light snow started to fall. I giggled. The cold snow hit my skin, making goose bumps appear over my entire body. They fell in my hair and got caught in my eye lashes. I blinked them away, feeling my smile widen. The snow picked up, falling harder and making it tougher to walk. Still, I didn’t move. I stood, feeling the snow building up around my feet. This storm would be deadly to any human who didn’t have a proper fire built in their home, but it would do no harm to my powerful flesh.

I heard the crunching sounds of someone walking in the snow. I turned to see Blake with a blanket, he looked concerned.

“Come, Faith. Tonight is not a night of hunting. You can go another night without eating?” he asked, wrapping the blanket around me.

I simply nodded, and he led me back into the crypt. Isaac looked at me, and nodded once. Marcus didn’t even turn his head when I entered. He had gone back to his book. I assumed he was angry at my earlier behavior.

“What were you thinking about out there?” Blake asked me, closing the crypt door behind us. The warmth of the room made my stomach churn from the sudden temperature change. I saw Isaac look at me as they waited for my response.

“I was just thinking about tonight,” I told him. Isaac raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“You mean about getting your emotions back?” he asked me, “Or yelling at me for pointing out that you’re still suffering from Logan’s fang?”

I glared at Isaac. Both Blake and Isaac noticed, but I didn’t care.

“Neither,” I told him, “I was just thinking about the night. The snow, that’s all,”

“Really?”

“Yes,”

Isaac didn’t seem convinced. One corner of his mouth lifted into a half smile, mocking me.

“What?” I demanded.

“You weren’t thinking about Logan or Blake,”

“Goodness, no! Why won’t you just accept my words for truth?” I asked, clenching my hands into fists.

“Because you are not trustworthy!” Isaac snapped. I was taken back by his sudden rage. I took a cautious step back, staring at him with fear in my eyes. He sighed, rubbing his temples, “Sorry. It’s been getting harder to stay calm...ever since Logan left without a trace, the calm I’d built up slowly started to disappear. It seems it’s caught up with me now, 39 years later,”

“Ever since Logan left? So you...are still affected by Logan then?” I asked, feeling triumphant for some reason.

“Yes,” he sighed, “Since you always speak his name in you sleep, Faith, it’s made it quite hard,”

It’s true that at night I cried out his name at least once. In the first years after Logan left, Blake would tell me that I said Logan’s name. After that, they just stopped telling me, and it was assumed that it was said at night. I always felt ashamed that I put Blake through the torment of hearing Logan’s name being cried out by the one he loved, but it never occurred to me that Isaac might suffer from it, too.

“I can’t control what I say at night,” I said quietly.

“I know, but I wish you could,” Isaac said. Blake nodded.

I then said something I longed to say to Isaac, but never felt brave enough to:

“I don’t care, Isaac. I don’t care if I cause you trouble. To tell you the truth, I hate you. I hate you so much. You and Marcus are just two annoyances. The only reason I put up with you is because of Blake,”

Marcus lowered his book, and stared at me with an open mouth. Blake seemed shocked, too, but he also seemed glad that I calmed down for him. Isaac smiled, and then, to all our surprise, he started to laugh. It wasn’t a happy laugh, or a heartwarming laugh. It was menacing, and it sent a shiver up and down my spine.

“I know you hate me, Faith,” he told me calmly, his laughing slowed, “I hate you, too. I haven’t killed you because Blake loves you. It seems we have a lot in common,”

“Wait a minute here,” Blake walked to my side and gave Isaac the worst of looks Blake could give, “You can’t say that to Faith. I don’t care if you do hate her, because I won’t stand by and hear her be insulted like that!”

Isaac’s smile disappeared. He seemed disappointed in Blake. Like protecting me was a crime.

“Blake, you’re a fool,” Marcus said suddenly.

“Stop,” I said calmly, “I’ll apologize for my comment, if you’ll all just stop the fight that’s about to start,”

Blake took my hand.

“Terribly sorry,” he kissed my hand, and looked over at Isaac and Marcus, “She’s right, though. We’re friends, and we shouldn’t fight,”

Marcus mumbled something I couldn’t quite catch, and Isaac nodded. That was the last of it that night. None of us said another word. Marcus went back to his book, Isaac sat down and stared at the wall, and Blake and I went to sleep early.

The next night, I was the last one awake. Marcus and Isaac were already gone, probably discussing what to do about me, and Blake was waiting for me, smiling. I smiled, too. I expected him to be upset, after what Isaac and I had said to each other last night. His happy attitude caught me off guard, and it made me chuckle.

“What?” he asked.

“It’s nothing,” I told him. I smiled, but it was still very small. Isaac had been right, I’m not cured, but I am getting better, “Shall we hunt?”

Blake nodded, and I followed him out into the snow covered cemetery.

I didn’t pay attention to the scenery that night. The large stars in the sky that seemed to be extra bright that night didn’t send me into a state of awe. The calm breeze didn’t do anything but make me hungrier as it brought the scent of humans to my nose. The moon was just a faint sliver in the night, and it brought me only pleasure that I was even more hidden in the dark. Tonight, I was a killer. A hunter who only wished to feel a cold, frightened human squirm under my claw. To taste the human’s life get sucked from them. I knew that my smile was only there because I thought of the warm blood falling down my throat, giving me strength.

Blake led me to the village. It was a small town, with small houses and tiny stores. The town looked pathetic covered in the snow, the white carpet that brought misery. Even in the light from the lamps that followed the roads, the town seemed gloomy and dead.

Perfect for vampires.

We walked to a house that smelled like five humans. I peeked my head in the window, and saw a happy family near the fire. There was a mother cradling a baby in her arms, hushing it to sleep. A father was showing his two sons (who appeared to be 17 and 8) a hunting knife and telling a grand story that came with it. A sight that could’ve warmed even my cold heart, if I hadn’t been so hungry.

Blake and I loved to play with our food. I nodded to Blake, and he picked me up. I pretended to sleep, and he pretended to look sad. He knocked on the door.

I heard the door open and a gasp came from the woman.

“Goodness, what’s happened?” she asked. There were footsteps as the father approached us.

“Did the cold take her?” he asked Blake. Even though I couldn’t see them, I knew the two sons were staring at me.

“Not yet, but she’s very close,” Blake told him, his voice cracking with the sounds of tears. I felt a warm hand touch my cheek. It was soft, and I assumed it was the mother’s.

“She’s cold as death,” she whispered, “Please, bring her by the fire,”

Blake took me into the house and laid me on a soft blanket made of animal fur. The baby started to cry, and I heard the mother start to lull the child.

“Charles,” the mother said, “Please get some more fire wood,”

I heard the eldest son walk out of the small house. A few minutes later, he walked in and I felt the fire’s heat grow as he placed the wood in the fireplace. Blake was explaining to the family that he and I were visiting a relative yesterday, and we left right as the storm was setting in. He said that our horses died and our carriage was violently destroyed in the winds. Blake told them that he did all he could to help me, but he feared that I might die soon. I made a small sound and slowly opened my eyes.

“Blake?” I whispered, looking around me, “Blake!” I sat up fast, and frightened. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I screamed.

“It’s alright, dear,” the mother said, “You’re safe now. You’ll be staying here until you feel better,”

“O-okay,” I shivered. It took all my will power to keep myself from laughing. This was too easy, these people deserved to die! Letting strangers stay with them just because the beautiful young girl is hurt. Pathetic.

“Would you like something to eat?” one of the sons asked. I looked at Blake, and he started to smile. He nodded to me, and I started to smile myself.

“I’d love something,” I said, reaching up to give, what looked like, a hug to Lois. She smiled at first, hugging me back.

“You’re welcome, dear,” she said. I was done playing. I bit down hard into her neck. The woman shrieked as the pain set in. Her husband was too shocked, and reacted slowly. By the time he’d gotten his knife out and jumped in front of his kids to protect them, Lois was dead. I stood up, and laughed. Their precious baby was in Blake’s arms. The baby was screaming and crying, like she knew something was wrong.

“Please!” the man begged, “Don’t harm my children,”

“You’re scared we’ll hurt a baby, aren’t you?” Blake asked, disgusted. He tickled under the girl’s chin, making the baby giggle, “See, she likes me,”

“Don’t touch her, demon,” Charles jr. snapped. He seemed the least afraid. His younger brother and father were breathing heavily, each had tears in their eyes, but not this teen boy.

“We’re not demons,” I said calmly, startling them, for I was now behind the boy, “We’re something better,”

I grabbed him and bit down on his throat. His father yelled and stabbed down at me, but I was too fast for him. Before they knew what was going on, I was beside Blake again, my arms keeping Charles right with me while I drained the life from him. The boy twitched slightly from the pain and from his body turning off so violently. The men started to bawl. Blake was still cuddling the baby.

I finished with the boy and let his body drop to the floor. I took the baby from Blake and he went off. The men could barely scream before Blake had killed them and begun to drink their blood. I stared at the baby girl in my arms while Blake drank, admiring the beauty in the small frame.

“What’ll we do with her?” Blake asked me, walking away from the lifeless bodies. I looked over at him, and shrugged.

“Kill her, obviously,” I told him, taking hold of the back of the baby’s dress. I dangled the now frightened girl over the fire, feeling no sympathy for the tiny child. Blake didn’t stop me, and I didn’t hesitate. I dropped the girl in the fire and walked out with Blake, ignoring the innocent shrieks from the house.